March 5, 2009
As promised, I am beginning to re-chronicle our Shanghai adventures this week. It didn't take long for our calendar to begin filling up with events upon my return (which means fodder for the blog).
I arrived in Shanghai on the evening of February 19th fairly unceremoniously and timely. Randy was waiting for me, his bald head quite obvious surrounded by a sea of shorter black-haired individuals all looking for their friends and loved ones. The company driver who'd driven Randy was trying unsuccessfully to match Randy with whichever Western woman came through the gates from the customs check point (apparently he didn't remember what I looked like .... guess I'd been away too long!), and Randy pointed at me as I wended my way through the masses as if to say, "THERE she is!"
Randy had warned me that Shanghai had become somewhat quieter and slower-paced during my absence in his opinion, probably as a result of two things: the Chinese New Year holiday ... the two week event which had just concluded (many Shanghai residents travel to their hometowns and villages in the countryside to spend the holiday with family), and the economic slow down as a result of the recession which is also being suffered in China. He'd told me that many of the establishments we expats frequent were no longer doing their usual brisk business as a result of many expats being sent home. Of course, many expats also take advantage of the holiday to travel as well.
I took my own notice of the decrease in activity as early as my transfer in Tokyo. Normally, the entire trip (Detroit to Tokyo, Tokyo to Shanghai) is traveled entirely in a 747. But this time, the flight out of Tokyo was a 200 passenger Airbus of some kind (the exact number escapes me at the moment). And that flight was not full either. Obviously, there isn't as much travel happening just now to Asia.
Randy was correct in his assessment of the situation. Taxis seem to be easier to procure (even in the rain when a taxi is almost impossible to hail), no waiting lines in even the most popular of restaurants, even the Pearl Market seems somewhat less busy than usual. Many of the expat magazines are reporting that the amount demanded for rent is down 20% from last year ... a sure sign of landlords worried about apartments going empty as the mass exodus of individuals to their homelands continues. This may bode well for us as our lease ends in November of this year .... maybe we can negotiate a decrease in the rent of our apartment. It certainly is worth opening the discussion anyway.
I hadn't been in Shanghai more than a few days when I received an email from our good friend, Dan O'Brien, from Oregon who often does business in Asia. He'd been in China for about a month and hoped for a visit with us before his return stateside on February 25th. He mentioned a Western Chinese (possibly Mongolian) restaurant called Urighy that he had previously enjoyed, and he and I decided to meet a few hours earlier for coffee in that neighborhood prior to dinner to include Cathy Wang, a mutual friend of ours who lives here in Shanghai.
It was great getting caught up with Dan and I certainly needed the caffeine jolt as the jet lag was brutal this time around (probably having something to do with a more lengthy four months stateside!). We found a taxi from the Starbucks to the restaurant where we met Cathy and eventually Randy who had come straight from work. The restaurant was a multi-level business and out front on the street level was a hot grill upon which meat on a stick (probably lamb or goat) was being flame broiled for passers-by who did not want to be bothered to go up to the second floor dining area for a snack. On the second floor, we found a table not TOO close to the stage and dance floor area as Dan had warned me of exuberant dancing by the employees of this establishment who often tried to coax dining patrons to join them.
The restaurant was staffed by mostly young men in colorful regional costumes of billowy pants, ornate vests, and unusual embroidered caps which I assume reflect the dress of the region from whence this type of food originates. Randy and I often see men with white caps grilling kabobs on the street or working in restaurants (Randy often calls them "the guys that wear the coffee filters on their heads" .... not terribly PC I suppose, but everyone knows who you mean when that reference is uttered) which seems to designate the Muslim population of Western China. Here's your demographic lesson for today: the highest population of Muslims in the world is located NOT in the Middle East (which is assumed by many due to the Arab population) but in Western China. These folks in (and from) Western China do not have the appearance of traditional Eastern and Southern Chinese and, in fact, look more Latino or perhaps Mediterranean than Chinese. But Chinese Muslims they are. You might recall my post about the fellows playing the Spanish guitars and singing in Spanish for Salsa night at the JZ club. Again, these were Western Chinese fellows who in all likelihood were Muslim as well.
Dan took the liberty of ordering for us which was just fine since he and Cathy had dined here previously. We were given not only chopsticks but clear plastic gloves as the cuisine is heavy on grilled meat, and digging in with one's hands is not only required, but encouraged. First came hot skewers of meat, grilled with a bit of savory spice ..... very tasty! Next came a rather large platter of leg of lamb expertly roasted until it fell off the bone .... lovely! There were a few vegetable dishes ...... some greens (sort of like collards), eggplant fries that were to DIE for (Micky D's take note), and mushrooms in a mild tomato sauce. Soon a plate of spicy chicken pieces arrived which were about the size of chicken McNuggets but with the bone still intact (have to re-learn my spitting out shells and bone technique again).
Also, I have to mention the beer. The beer which came in a tall brown bottle was dark like Guinness but very mild and served COLD which is unusual here in Shanghai. Sort of like being in Europe where beer is often served room temperature .... sometimes I ask for a glass of ice to go with my beer here but often even that isn't available. Ever since Randy and I have dined at this restaurant, we have been looking for this beer to buy in the stores we frequent. So far we have come up empty .... it's called Sinkling or something like that. If you happen to come across it (maybe in a beer or wine specialty store), I highly recommend it.
About mid-meal, the stage came alive with recorded music and karaoke type singing (in Chinese). The fellows all danced and clapped even as they served the patrons of the restaurant. There was one woman dancer who was also very lovely in her regional costume of long flowing yellow skirt which was decorated with profusions of brocade, embroidery, and sequins. The dancing reminded me quite a lot of Greek dancing .... much bobbing up and down with outstretched arms. Actually, the music sounded sort of Greek to me as well. And true to their reputation, the fellows tried their darndest to get me up to the stage to dance with them. I was quite stubborn about it though ..... still too jet lagged (and maybe not enough Sinkling) to feel comfortable dancing this complicated dance which did seem to have particular steps that needed to be followed. Of course, I'm sure they'd have forgiven me my lack of expertise. It would have been a huge coup to get the laowei up and dancing, I'm sure. There were many Chinese diners who got up to dance, and we speculated that these folks probably come from Western China to enjoy some "home" cooking, music, and entertainment.
I subscribe to an expat newsletter that arrives via email every week to let us foreigners know the events of this city in terms of entertainment. During that same week, I received one that described a "Second City" style improve comedy show taking place at a restaurant called Number 5. The show was called "Chop Schticks" and had apparently been running off and on for several months. I emailed Randy the link and asked him if he was interested. We looked up the info and it seemed reasonable and sounded fun. I'm sure Randy would have spent any amount of money to try to cheer me up ..... I'd sunk into a fairly deep depression that would NOT seem to lift. It did not help my mood any that the weather (even as of this writing) has been dark, cold, grey, and misty/drizzling since my arrival. We sent out an email to our Shanghai friends that we were getting tickets to this performance and to please let us know if anyone else wanted to join us. Our good friends, Larry and Therese, responded positively.
Number 5 is in the basement of the same building that houses the very classy restaurant called M on the Bund (about which I believe I wrote very early in the blog). We took the subway to Nanjing East and, after a short walk toward the Bund, we arrived. There were folding chairs in a semi-circle around a small stage area opposite the bar, but scattered here and there were tables for four which were also available for the show patrons. As we were quite early to arrive, we grabbed one of the tables for the four of us.
Chop Schticks is entirely improvisational comedy which utilizes suggestions from the audience as inspiration for it's acts (a la "Whose Line Is It Anyway"). One woman and three men put on an exceptional performance which had us literally in stitches ..... yes, a good laugh was had by all and did WONDERS for my disposition!!! Most of these entertainers are involved with something called Baby Wants Candy of which I had never heard but we'll more than likely research that next time we're in the states for any length of time. Definitely a troupe of bright and VERY "quick on their feet" performers. I'm not sure I'd be able to come up with something that brilliant if put into a similar situation. Definitely a show worth the time to experience!
We've gotten back into our routine of weekend walks and shopping at our favorite spots, drinking and dining at our favorite Hong Mei Lu restaurants and pubs, and weekly massages at our beloved Dragonfly (which also went a long way toward getting me out of my jet lag funk). I've already purchased pearls at the Pearl Market again (I'm sure Randy's thinking, "THAT didn't take long!!"). One of Randy's coworkers is getting married this month so I needed a new necklace and a silk clutch to complete my ensemble. I'm kind of looking forward to this, our first official Chinese wedding. I'll have a nice long post for the blog after that event, I'm sure.
So that's about it for now. I do believe I'm over the worst of the jet lag as well as a bit of a sinus bug that plagued me the last few days. I've been doing my daily walking in the gym on the treadmill due to the chilly, dreadful weather we've been experiencing. And Randy is happy to have somebody here doing laundry, cooking, and general apartment upkeep again. It's nice to be needed!!
I arrived in Shanghai on the evening of February 19th fairly unceremoniously and timely. Randy was waiting for me, his bald head quite obvious surrounded by a sea of shorter black-haired individuals all looking for their friends and loved ones. The company driver who'd driven Randy was trying unsuccessfully to match Randy with whichever Western woman came through the gates from the customs check point (apparently he didn't remember what I looked like .... guess I'd been away too long!), and Randy pointed at me as I wended my way through the masses as if to say, "THERE she is!"
Randy had warned me that Shanghai had become somewhat quieter and slower-paced during my absence in his opinion, probably as a result of two things: the Chinese New Year holiday ... the two week event which had just concluded (many Shanghai residents travel to their hometowns and villages in the countryside to spend the holiday with family), and the economic slow down as a result of the recession which is also being suffered in China. He'd told me that many of the establishments we expats frequent were no longer doing their usual brisk business as a result of many expats being sent home. Of course, many expats also take advantage of the holiday to travel as well.
I took my own notice of the decrease in activity as early as my transfer in Tokyo. Normally, the entire trip (Detroit to Tokyo, Tokyo to Shanghai) is traveled entirely in a 747. But this time, the flight out of Tokyo was a 200 passenger Airbus of some kind (the exact number escapes me at the moment). And that flight was not full either. Obviously, there isn't as much travel happening just now to Asia.
Randy was correct in his assessment of the situation. Taxis seem to be easier to procure (even in the rain when a taxi is almost impossible to hail), no waiting lines in even the most popular of restaurants, even the Pearl Market seems somewhat less busy than usual. Many of the expat magazines are reporting that the amount demanded for rent is down 20% from last year ... a sure sign of landlords worried about apartments going empty as the mass exodus of individuals to their homelands continues. This may bode well for us as our lease ends in November of this year .... maybe we can negotiate a decrease in the rent of our apartment. It certainly is worth opening the discussion anyway.
I hadn't been in Shanghai more than a few days when I received an email from our good friend, Dan O'Brien, from Oregon who often does business in Asia. He'd been in China for about a month and hoped for a visit with us before his return stateside on February 25th. He mentioned a Western Chinese (possibly Mongolian) restaurant called Urighy that he had previously enjoyed, and he and I decided to meet a few hours earlier for coffee in that neighborhood prior to dinner to include Cathy Wang, a mutual friend of ours who lives here in Shanghai.
It was great getting caught up with Dan and I certainly needed the caffeine jolt as the jet lag was brutal this time around (probably having something to do with a more lengthy four months stateside!). We found a taxi from the Starbucks to the restaurant where we met Cathy and eventually Randy who had come straight from work. The restaurant was a multi-level business and out front on the street level was a hot grill upon which meat on a stick (probably lamb or goat) was being flame broiled for passers-by who did not want to be bothered to go up to the second floor dining area for a snack. On the second floor, we found a table not TOO close to the stage and dance floor area as Dan had warned me of exuberant dancing by the employees of this establishment who often tried to coax dining patrons to join them.
The restaurant was staffed by mostly young men in colorful regional costumes of billowy pants, ornate vests, and unusual embroidered caps which I assume reflect the dress of the region from whence this type of food originates. Randy and I often see men with white caps grilling kabobs on the street or working in restaurants (Randy often calls them "the guys that wear the coffee filters on their heads" .... not terribly PC I suppose, but everyone knows who you mean when that reference is uttered) which seems to designate the Muslim population of Western China. Here's your demographic lesson for today: the highest population of Muslims in the world is located NOT in the Middle East (which is assumed by many due to the Arab population) but in Western China. These folks in (and from) Western China do not have the appearance of traditional Eastern and Southern Chinese and, in fact, look more Latino or perhaps Mediterranean than Chinese. But Chinese Muslims they are. You might recall my post about the fellows playing the Spanish guitars and singing in Spanish for Salsa night at the JZ club. Again, these were Western Chinese fellows who in all likelihood were Muslim as well.
Dan took the liberty of ordering for us which was just fine since he and Cathy had dined here previously. We were given not only chopsticks but clear plastic gloves as the cuisine is heavy on grilled meat, and digging in with one's hands is not only required, but encouraged. First came hot skewers of meat, grilled with a bit of savory spice ..... very tasty! Next came a rather large platter of leg of lamb expertly roasted until it fell off the bone .... lovely! There were a few vegetable dishes ...... some greens (sort of like collards), eggplant fries that were to DIE for (Micky D's take note), and mushrooms in a mild tomato sauce. Soon a plate of spicy chicken pieces arrived which were about the size of chicken McNuggets but with the bone still intact (have to re-learn my spitting out shells and bone technique again).
Also, I have to mention the beer. The beer which came in a tall brown bottle was dark like Guinness but very mild and served COLD which is unusual here in Shanghai. Sort of like being in Europe where beer is often served room temperature .... sometimes I ask for a glass of ice to go with my beer here but often even that isn't available. Ever since Randy and I have dined at this restaurant, we have been looking for this beer to buy in the stores we frequent. So far we have come up empty .... it's called Sinkling or something like that. If you happen to come across it (maybe in a beer or wine specialty store), I highly recommend it.
About mid-meal, the stage came alive with recorded music and karaoke type singing (in Chinese). The fellows all danced and clapped even as they served the patrons of the restaurant. There was one woman dancer who was also very lovely in her regional costume of long flowing yellow skirt which was decorated with profusions of brocade, embroidery, and sequins. The dancing reminded me quite a lot of Greek dancing .... much bobbing up and down with outstretched arms. Actually, the music sounded sort of Greek to me as well. And true to their reputation, the fellows tried their darndest to get me up to the stage to dance with them. I was quite stubborn about it though ..... still too jet lagged (and maybe not enough Sinkling) to feel comfortable dancing this complicated dance which did seem to have particular steps that needed to be followed. Of course, I'm sure they'd have forgiven me my lack of expertise. It would have been a huge coup to get the laowei up and dancing, I'm sure. There were many Chinese diners who got up to dance, and we speculated that these folks probably come from Western China to enjoy some "home" cooking, music, and entertainment.
I subscribe to an expat newsletter that arrives via email every week to let us foreigners know the events of this city in terms of entertainment. During that same week, I received one that described a "Second City" style improve comedy show taking place at a restaurant called Number 5. The show was called "Chop Schticks" and had apparently been running off and on for several months. I emailed Randy the link and asked him if he was interested. We looked up the info and it seemed reasonable and sounded fun. I'm sure Randy would have spent any amount of money to try to cheer me up ..... I'd sunk into a fairly deep depression that would NOT seem to lift. It did not help my mood any that the weather (even as of this writing) has been dark, cold, grey, and misty/drizzling since my arrival. We sent out an email to our Shanghai friends that we were getting tickets to this performance and to please let us know if anyone else wanted to join us. Our good friends, Larry and Therese, responded positively.
Number 5 is in the basement of the same building that houses the very classy restaurant called M on the Bund (about which I believe I wrote very early in the blog). We took the subway to Nanjing East and, after a short walk toward the Bund, we arrived. There were folding chairs in a semi-circle around a small stage area opposite the bar, but scattered here and there were tables for four which were also available for the show patrons. As we were quite early to arrive, we grabbed one of the tables for the four of us.
Chop Schticks is entirely improvisational comedy which utilizes suggestions from the audience as inspiration for it's acts (a la "Whose Line Is It Anyway"). One woman and three men put on an exceptional performance which had us literally in stitches ..... yes, a good laugh was had by all and did WONDERS for my disposition!!! Most of these entertainers are involved with something called Baby Wants Candy of which I had never heard but we'll more than likely research that next time we're in the states for any length of time. Definitely a troupe of bright and VERY "quick on their feet" performers. I'm not sure I'd be able to come up with something that brilliant if put into a similar situation. Definitely a show worth the time to experience!
We've gotten back into our routine of weekend walks and shopping at our favorite spots, drinking and dining at our favorite Hong Mei Lu restaurants and pubs, and weekly massages at our beloved Dragonfly (which also went a long way toward getting me out of my jet lag funk). I've already purchased pearls at the Pearl Market again (I'm sure Randy's thinking, "THAT didn't take long!!"). One of Randy's coworkers is getting married this month so I needed a new necklace and a silk clutch to complete my ensemble. I'm kind of looking forward to this, our first official Chinese wedding. I'll have a nice long post for the blog after that event, I'm sure.
So that's about it for now. I do believe I'm over the worst of the jet lag as well as a bit of a sinus bug that plagued me the last few days. I've been doing my daily walking in the gym on the treadmill due to the chilly, dreadful weather we've been experiencing. And Randy is happy to have somebody here doing laundry, cooking, and general apartment upkeep again. It's nice to be needed!!
posted by Roxanne Gillett at
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